Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Learning Art String Type Stitches

If you are starting to do more charted designs, you'll run into some stitches that look hard, like the Double Fan Doubled or the Chilly Hollow Stitch.  If you are planning to do a lot of these "art string" type stitches, buying volumes one and two of Carole Lake's Twisty Stitches makes sense.  

But if you are just starting to do these things and you may never do another project with them in it, or you are a visual person, videos to teach you online would be great.

Debbie Rowley of DebBee's Designs has produced as series of videos demonstrating some of these monsters.  Here's the video about Double Fan Doubled stitch--

Here's my personal favorite, her video on the Chilly Hollow stitch.

Debbie's YouTube channel has several videos about these unusual stitches.  Explore and see what you can learn here-

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 9, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, January 29, 2024

Mary Corbet Talks Bullions

Mary Corbet has often written about bullion knots and how to make them.  Here's her latest article-

Here's the technique she recommends to make your bullion.  Mary isn't the only one who recommends practice when it comes to bullions.  Gay Ann Rogers advocates doing some every morning before tackling a project with bullions until it becomes natural.  

Mary highly recommends milliner needles, sometimes called straw needles and sometimes called milliner straw needles.  Basically, these are long needles with an eye not much bigger than the shaft (you can buy milliner needles with larger eyes but I don't recommend that for making bullions).

I think buying an assortment of milliner sizes is wise so you can find the right size for the threads you are using for your bullions.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 9, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Dimensional Dog with Stitch Diagrams

Stephanie at Ridgewood Needlepoint is stitching one of the Sew Much Fun dimensional stuffed animals as part of their New Stitch Monday series.  These designs come with stitch guides but Stephanie is using her own stitches.  In this first entry from Ridgewood about this piece, she explains Scotch and Cashmere variation and includes a diagram.

Stephanie did more Scotch stitch combos for her dog.

The next two sections have stripes, one Stephanie made up when she miscounted the section.  It looks fabulous, proving that mistakes are when we get really creative.

The back of the first leg has a very pretty Hungarian variation.

More of the first leg, this time a Milanese variation.

The last of the first leg, using a Parisian stitch which is one of my favorites.

Now the second leg is started.

More on leg number two.

I think we are working one of the two front legs now.

The front leg with lots of stripes was apparently a lot of fun.

The second front leg is cute.

This is the last of the front leg stitching.

The ears, head and gussets are the last things to be stitched.

Here are good photos of the finished dog, posted by Stephanie to Needlepoint Nation.


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 9, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Sugar Plum and Snowball Santas (Janet Zickler Casey)

Brenda's Needlepoint Studio has started on another Janet Z. Casey Santa, the Sugar Plum Santa.  

He's done already!  And he's a cutie.

Her next Santa from Janet is the Snowball Santa.

As is usual with these cute Santas, you start with the face.  I'll update this article as Brenda stitches Santa to bring him to life.  If you aren't familiar with Janet Casey's Santas, you can browse them here.  Some are available as painted canvases with stitch guides now (I think from Danji) but Brenda is working them as originally designed.


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 9, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, January 26, 2024

Tumbling Stripes (Marilyn Owen)

Melita Glavin's ANG chapter is going to stitch Marilyn Owen's "Tumbling Stripes" as a project.  First up, Melita has to pick colors and find threads in her stash that will work, then she has to put the piece of Congress cloth she found on too large Evertites.  She shows you how to lace a side if you too have needlepoint canvas just a little too small for your stretcher bars.

Melita choose blue and yellow cotton floss for her threads.



Here is Melita's finished version, which made a lovely ornament.

Brenda is working this, too.  Like most chapter projects, it is a counted canvaswork piece, but this one is a bit unusual and quite pretty when finished.  I'll update this article as Brenda posts progress photos.





You can see larger versions of "Tumbling Stripes" on the ANG Cyberpointers' website.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 8, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.